Apparatus for manufacture of carbide



April l5, 1941. R. M. CHATTERTON APPARTUS FOR MANUFACTURE OF CARBIDE Patented Apr. 15, 1941 APPARATUS Fon MANUFACTURE oF cARBmE Rollin M. Chatterton, Malden, Mass., assigner to Hydrocarbons Research Co., Boston, Mass., aA corporation of Massachusetts Application March s, 1940, serial No. 323,037

9 Claims.

,This invention relates to the manufacture of calcium carbide from lime and carbon in an electric furnace. s

It is the general object of my invention to provide an improved apparatus for producing lime and carbon and for making carbide inthe manner indicated. More specifically, I provide improved apparatus in which limestone is burned to lime, oil is cracked in ,thepresence of the heated lime, with deposit of carbon thereon, and the mixed lime and carbon thus produced is fed direct to an electric furnace. I also provide improvedy devices fori feeding the lime and the mixed lime and carbon mechanically and at any desired rates, and improved means for regulating the heat for the oil cracking operation.

Another feature of my invention relates to convenient removal and replacement of the electric furnace in my improved carbide apparatus.

My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a sectional front elevationof my improved apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation, .taken along the line 2--2 in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view, taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, I have shown a kiln I Il to which limestone may be fed through the usual charging device II, and from which combustion gases may be removed through a flue I2 which may be connected to a suitable stack or may be provided with an exhauster I3.

'Ihe kiln I0 is preferably enlarged at the front and rear as indicated at I4 in Fig. 2 and these enlarged portions I4 areprovided with oil burners I5 having oil feed pipes I6 and air feed pipes Il. 'I'he burners I5 are so operated as to provide the required amount of heat to burn the limestone fed through the charging device.

I also provide a retort 20, the upper end of which is connected by an inclined passage 2l to the lower end of the kiln I0. A stoker device having a, plunger 22 is actuated at a selected speed from a suitable source of power, such asa driving shaft 23. The speed of the shaft may be controlled by any suitablemeans, such as a motor rheostat. rThe stoker plunger 22 is preferably rectangular in cross section, as shown in Fig. 3.

Highly heated lime is thus fed at any desired and vapors from the oil cracking operation will be removed from the retort 20.

Near its lower Vend, the retort 2 0 is provided with front` and rear enlarged portions 3U (Fig.A 2) provided with oil burners 3| having oil feed pipes 32 and air feed pipes 33. The enlarged por..

tions 30 are of sufficient size to constitute auxiliary combustion chambers, to which steam pipes 35 are connected.

Steam isadmitted to the combustion chambers to temper or decrease the temperature of the combustion gases, thereby varying the oil cracking operation, as will be hereinafter described.

.I also provide an electric carbide furnace 40, preferably mounted on wheels 4I and rails y42, and having an intake portion 44 connected by an inclined passage 45 tov the lower end of the retort 20. A flanged joint or connection 46 is pref- Yfor feeding mixed lime and carbon from the bottom of the retort 20 to the intake portion 44 of the carbide furnace. A hopper 48 is mounted above the Stoker device, so that additional lime or additional carbon may be fed into the mixture,

, if either of these elements is found to be deficient in quantity. The speed of this Stoker device may be selectively regulated as previously described.

While the method by which carbide is Produced in my improved apparatus forms no part of my present invention, it may be briefly stated as follows:

The formation of carbide in the furnace 40 produces highly heated carbon monoxide gas in substantial quantities, which gas flows lupward through the passage 45 to the retort 20. This gas provides a substantial kamount of heat for the oil cracking operation and at the same time insures that the cracking take place in a reducing atmosphere. Additional hot gases are supplied by the burners 3|, and the temperature of these gases is controlled without substantial heat loss by injecting a regulated amount of steam into the combustion chambers through the pipes 35.

The heat removed from the combustion gases is taken up by the steam, and the mixed steam and gases, together with carbon-monoxide gas from the furnace 40, provide heat for the oil cracking operation. The oil gases and vapors from the cracking operation, miXed with more or less steam, are removed through the pipe 21 for suitable treatment and for recovery of gasoline, solvents and other by-products therefrom.

Heat for burning the limestone to lime is supplied by the oil burners I5, and the products of combustion are removed through the pipe or ue I2 as previously described. The lime as fed from the kiln l0 to the retort 20 is ina highly heated condition, so that less vheat need be supplied by the burners 3l for the oil cracking operation.

The cracking of oil and particularly of heavy and lower grade oils deposits carbon in substantial quantities on the lime in the retort 20, thus producing a mixture of lime and carbon which is particularly suited for the carbide reaction. If, however, the carbon is not in correct proportion to the lime, the proportion may be corrected by feeding additional lime or additional carbon from the hopper 48 during the feeding operation of the plunger 41.

By varying the feed of the two Stoker devices, the operation of the entire apparatus may be very effectively controlled, while at the same time the supply of heat may be regulated by adjusting the burners l5 and 3l, and the temperature of the combustion gases may be controlled by variably admitting steam through the pipes 35. The

entire apparatus is thus very flexible in operation and is particularly Well adapted to its intended purpose, which is the production of calcium carbide in accordance with the method set forth in the copending application of Lewis W. Riggs,

Serial No. 276,150, filed May 27, 1939, and asfr.

signed to applicants assignees.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

l. Apparatus for manufacture of carbide comprising a lime kiln, an oil cracking retort positioned at a less elevation than said kiln, an electric carbide furnace positioned at a less elevation than said retort, a passage directly connecting said kiln to said retort, a second passage directly connecting said retort to said furnace, and means for positively feeding solid materials along each of said connecting passages.

2. Apparatus for manufacture of carbide com-L prising a lime kiln, an oil cracking retort positioned at a less elevation than said kiln, an electric carbide furnace positioned at a less elevation than said retort, a downwardly inclined passage directly connecting said kiln to said retort, a downwardly inclined passage directly connecting said retort to said furnace, and separately controlled mechanical feeding means for each connecting passage.

3. Apparatus for manufacture of carbide comprising a lime kiln, an oil cracking retort positioned at a less elevation than said kiln, an electric carbide furnace positioned at a less elevation than said retort, a passage directly connecting said kiln to said retort, a second passage directly connecting said retort to said furnace, and a separate Stoker device to positively feed solid material along each connecting passage.

4. Apparatus for manufacture of carbide comprising a lime kiln, an oil cracking retort positioned at a less elevation than said kiln, an electric carbide furnace positioned at a less elevation than said retort, a passage directly connecting said kiln to said retort, a second passage directly connecting said retort to said furnace, mechanical means to positively feed lime from said kiln along said rst passage to said retort, mechanical means to positively feed lime and deposited carbon from said retort along said second paskage to said furnace, and means to supply additional solid material to said furnace.

5. Apparatus for manufacture of carbide comprising a lime kiln, an oil cracking retort positioned at a less elevation than said kiln, an electric carbide furnace positioned at a less elevation than said retort, a passage directly connecting said kiln to said retort, a second passage directly connecting said retort to said furnace, mechanical means to positively feed lime from said kiln along said rst passage to said retort, mechanical means to positively feed lime and deposited carbon from said retort along said second passage to said furnace, and means to supply additional solid material to said furnace through said latter mechanical feeding means.

6. Apparatus for manufacture of carbide comprising a lime kiln, an oil cracking retort positioned at a less elevation than said kiln, an electric carbide furnace positioned at a less elevation than said retort, a passage directly connecting said kiln to said retort, a second passage directly connecting said retort to said furnace, mechanical means to positively feed lime from said kiln along said rst passage to said retort, mechanical means to positively feed lime and deposited carbon from said retort along said second passage to said furnace, and a hopper associated with said latter mechanical feeding means and effective to supply additional solid material to said electric furnace through said feeding means.

7. Apparatus for manufacture of carbide comprising a lime kiln, an oil cracking retort positioned at a less elevation than said kiln, an electric carbide furnace positioned at a less elevation than said retort, a downwardly inclined passage directly connecting said kiln to said retort, a downwardly inclined passage directly connecting said retort to said furnace, means to positively feed solid material along each of said passages, and readily separable connections between said furnace and the lower end of said second passage, whereby said furnace may be conveniently removed and replaced.

8. Apparatus for the manufacture of carbide comprising an electric carbide furnace, an oil cracking retort connected to said furnace, means to provide heated lime for said retort, means to feed oil into the mass of heated lime, means to supply hot combustion gases to additionally heat the lime in said retort, and means to modify and control the temperature of said combustion gases by the addition of a cooler gaseous product thereto.

9. Apparatus for the manufacture of carbide comprising an electric carbide furnace, an oil cracking retort connected to said furnace, means to provide heated lime for said retort, means to feed oil into the mass of heated lime, means to supply hot combustion gases to additionally heat the lime in said retort, auxiliary combustion chambers in which said gases are produced, and means to inject a cooler inert gas into said auxiliary combustion -chambers to reduce the temperature of said combustion gases before they enter said retort.

' ROLLIN M. CHATTERTON. 

